Introducing: Vardaan Arora ‘Feel Good Song’

Meet Vardaan Arora, a New Delhi-born singer-songwriter currently living in New York City.

Now, full disclosure: I’ve known Vardaan for more than a minute now after he casually introduced himself to me at Barracuda Lounge, a gay dive bar located in Chelsea where I play all your fave pop bops every other Saturday from 10pm-4am (I’m there this weekend). According to Facebook, we became friends four years ago this week. Fate? I think yes!

Fun facts about Vardaan? He loves Hilary Duff and has an unhealthy relationship with Selena Gomez‘s “Come & Get It.” Another fun fact? We recorded a music recap together way back in 2014 and put it up on his YouTube channel, where you can also find a whole bunch of his covers – my fave is “Toxic.”

I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, you’re friends with this person and you’re just doing him a favor.” Yes, we’re friends but that doesn’t mean I’m going to help promote something I don’t like, okurr. I’ve been hearing what Vardaan‘s been working up behind-the-scenes for a while now, and I can genuinely say that it comes packed with potential. Seriously!

Case in point: “Feel Good Song,” Vardaan‘s debut single, produced by Kevin Leach and mixed by Grammy Award winner Nathan Dantzler in Nashville, TN. Colored by airy Kygo-like chimes and shimmering synths, the carefree anthem is pretty immediate from the very first play, showcasing Vardaan‘s genuinely infectious chops above a smooth tropical pulse. “So I won’t put my hands up in the air/ No I won’t try to act like I don’t care/ Ain’t no bottles on the table coming all night long/ I close my eyes and sing my feel good song.”

“Music can be uplifting, it can be therapeutic. That’s where the idea for ‘Feel Good Song‘ came to me,” Vardaan told Jon ALi. “I wanted people to be able to listen to an upbeat song that didn’t tell them what to do or how to feel. Everyone has a different idea of what ‘feeling good’ means, and I want this song to make people get there on their own terms. Feeling down and depressed can be more taxing than any other imaginable feeling – and in those moments, I just close my eyes and sing my feel good song.”

Listen to Vardaan Arora’s debut single “Feel Good Song” on Apple Music now!